


National Hug Day

by slightlytookish



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Awkwardness, Crushes, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Hugs, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-15 08:10:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5778007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlytookish/pseuds/slightlytookish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even back home in Utah Connor suspects that there will probably be times when he'll need to keep his elders' spirits up, and how better than by celebrating some fun holidays together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	National Hug Day

**Author's Note:**

> It's my birthday, and it's also National Hug Day, and since I like writing and posting fic on my birthday I figured, why not combine the two? :D Super fluffy and probably a bit cracky but hey, these guys deserve all the hugs they can get.

It's silly, Connor knows, but he packs the calendar anyway, hiding it between his neatly pressed shirts and brightly colored (but still tastefully patterned) ties. He knows there's probably a calendar waiting for him in Uganda but it won't be like this one, with its carefully labeled but not exactly church-related holidays. Still, even back home in Utah he suspects that there will probably be times when he'll need to keep his elders' spirits up, and how better than by celebrating some fun holidays together? 

Once he's in Uganda, however, reality sets in and certain holidays are quickly and quietly crossed off his list. National Ice Cream Day is one of the first to go, for the very obvious reason that there's absolutely no ice cream to be found in the village. And of course they still celebrate more conventional holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's, but those days inevitably leave most if not all of the elders feeling a little homesick. So when the third week of January rolls around Connor is grateful to see a holiday on his calendar that he's absolutely sure will make every one of his elders smile. 

"Listen up, everyone," he says that morning at breakfast, too excited to wait until they finish eating to tell them. "I have a very special announcement to make. Today is… National Hug Day!"

Just as he hoped, the other elders immediately get into the spirit of the day. Bowls of cereal are forgotten and left to go soggy as they jump up and hug each other, all the while eagerly discussing how they might incorporate hugs into their daily proselytizing routine. 

All except for Elder Price, who's the only one still sitting at the table and who, when Connor turns to him with open arms, flinches and says, "Are we hugging now?"

He sounds unnerved in a way that Connor hasn't heard him sound since his first, disastrous week in Uganda, and while he can't help deflating a little at Price's reaction, he's quick to reassure him. "No, Elder, that's quite all right. No one has to hug anyone else today if they don't want to."

That seems to make him relax, at least until Elder Cunningham pounces on him. "What's the matter, best friend?" he says, throwing his arms around Price and squeezing him tightly enough to almost lift Price from his chair. "Isn't a whole day for hugging the coolest thing ever?"

"No," Elder Price mutters, but after a moment of holding himself stiffly his arms slowly come up to hug Elder Cunningham in return, and Connor – isn't _jealous_ , not exactly. He noticed from the beginning that Price is often strange about touching and being touched; sometimes he's very free with friendly pats on the back and encouraging shoulder clasps and that sort of thing, but then there are times when Price holds himself apart and seems eager to avoid all physical contact. Connor respects that, and he certainly doesn't ever want to make Price feel uncomfortable, but he would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that seeing him hug Elder Cunningham right now stings, at least a little bit.

Still, aside from that little hiccup with Elder Price in the morning, Hug Day turns out to be a resounding success. January is one of the hottest months in Uganda and between the high temperatures, the gloomy skies, and the frequent thunderstorms, the elders and the villagers haven't exactly been their most cheerful selves during the past couple of weeks. But when they all gather together that afternoon Elder Cunningham makes up a new Book of Arnold story on the spot (something about Gandalf and Saruman "hugging it out" in order to vanquish a truly vicious thunderstorm through the power of their cuddling, which turns out to be far more heartwarming than Connor ever would have expected) and Mafala laughs and once again says how much he loves listening to their weird stories before hugging first Nabulungi and then a somewhat startled Elder Cunningham. And just like that everyone's hugging, villagers and elders alike, and people are smiling at each other brightly enough to make everyone forget about the storm clouds gathering overhead. 

Every so often Connor catches a glimpse of Elder Price through the crowd. He hangs back, accepting a hug from Nabulungi at one point but otherwise keeping to himself, but there's a small smile on his face sometimes as he watches everyone and once when their eyes meet Price actually grins and nods at him, as if in approval. It makes something flutter in Connor's chest, and he hopes that Price can't see him blushing all the way across the marketplace. 

It might be Connor's imagination but he thinks he feels Price's eyes on him after that, which doesn't exactly make the fluttering feeling go away even as he hugs Kimbay and Ghali and as many people as he can. It's starting to drizzle by the time he glances in Elder Price's direction again, and by then Price is gone. Connor doesn't have time to feel disappointed or even to think about it – the rain is falling faster as the crowd scatters and he and the other elders run back to the mission hut, and they're all soaked to the bone by the time they get home. 

None of it – the rain, the… whatever it is with Price – is enough to dampen Connor's spirits, not when he can hear the elders laughing loud enough to drown out the first sounds of thunder in the distance. Hug Day has turned out better than he ever would have expected, and as he changes out of his wet clothes and into dry ones Connor can't help smiling as he remembers the whole village coming together so joyfully. Days like this are when he feels that they're doing the most good on their mission, even if very little of that is actual missionary work.

He's still smiling when he throws open the bedroom door and walks right into Elder Price, who's standing on the other side with one hand raised as if he were about to knock. "My goodness, Elder Price, I'm sorry," he says, quickly taking a step back and out of his space, and he's absolutely shocked when Price follows him into his room.

"No, it's my fault, you didn't know I was there," Price says. His eyes meet Connor's for a moment before sliding away; he looks more hesitant than Connor's ever seen him and it's a bit unsettling, but he also looks like he has something important to say, if Connor is patient enough to wait.

"Um," Elder Thomas says from his side of the room as he finishes tying his tie. "I'll just see if the others need help making dinner." He slips through the door, closing it quietly behind him, and it isn't Connor's imagination when the tense lines of Price's shoulders relax, just a bit.

Elder Price still isn't talking, however, and his hair is almost as damp as Connor's, which suggests he didn't leave the marketplace much earlier than the rest of them did. Certainly not early enough to escape the rain, and seeing Price without his hair in its normally perfect state makes him look strangely vulnerable. Connor takes a step closer to him and, after a brief internal debate, rests a hand on his arm. Price doesn't shrug him off, which is probably a good sign. "Is everything all right, Elder?"

That seems to shake Price from his thoughts. "Yeah, I just – I wanted to say that Hug Day was a great idea. I haven't seen the villagers look that happy since Nabulungi's play," he says. "You're really good at that, you know. Cheering people up."

"Oh, gosh," Connor says, feeling a little bashful. "I didn't make up the day, Elder Price. I didn't do anything at all, really."

"But you did," Price says. "No one would've even known about this day if it weren't for you. They would have spent the whole day being annoyed about the weather instead of having fun." When he meets Connor's eyes again he looks rueful. "I'm sorry I didn't participate much. Or at all, really. I couldn't – sometimes I just-" He breaks off, straightening his tie and glancing away again, and looking so intensely uncomfortable that Connor would hug him if he knew it would make him feel better, and not worse.

"You don't have to explain," he says, but Price just frowns.

"I don't really know _how_ to explain it," he admits. "But anyway, I wanted to-" He draws himself up and Connor has a second to notice the determined glint in his eyes before Price is hugging him.

It's not as awkward as Connor might have imagined, even though his heart practically leaps into his throat and he just stands there like a fool for a moment before he realizes that he's allowed to hug Elder Price back. It's not awkward at all, really – it's actually an incredible sort of hug, because Price is surprisingly relaxed and feels wonderfully warm and solid all around him, and he doesn't pull away when Connor finally dares to hug him back a little more firmly. Maybe it doesn't feel awkward because it's not imaginary at all, Connor muses; it's completely real, and he has to hide a smile in Elder Price's shoulder because he's just so happy.

His smile hasn't faded when Price finally pulls away, not even when he keeps his hands on Connor's shoulders and just _looks_ at him. He's not sure what Price is looking for, exactly, but he must find it because he suddenly leans forward and gently kisses Connor on the cheek.

Connor's smile disappears then, because it turns out it's pretty difficult to smile when his mouth is hanging open in shock. Price pulls away quickly, and drops his hands from Connor's shoulders, but he doesn't step away, not even when Connor reaches up and touches his fingers to his cheek, as if he could hold Price's kiss there forever if he tried.

His heart is hammering in his chest but eventually Connor manages to speak. "Today isn't National Kiss Day, Kevin," he says, and then he blushes because of what he's said, and what Kevin did, and the fact that he called him _Kevin_. But it's difficult to think of him as Elder Price when it feels like the whole world's tilted on its side and Connor's still standing there with his hand pressed to his burning cheek.

Kevin doesn't seem unsettled by any of it – not the use of his name, or what he did, or what Connor said – but then, Kevin's been a lot better than Connor has at breaking the rules since the whole mess with the mission president, so maybe that's to be expected. And anyway, Connor's been putting a lot less value in sticking to the rules now that he's seen how bending or even breaking them sometimes can make people so much happier. Maybe he should start applying that to himself, he thinks suddenly, starting right now.

Connor has no idea how much of his thought process is showing on his face, but Kevin is watching him uncertainly now, and he's biting his lip in a way that Connor shouldn't find adorable, but does. "Was that okay?" he says at last. 

"Yes, I... I wouldn't mind doing that again, actually," Connor replies, and somehow manages to blush even harder.

Kevin finally grins, bright and happy and looking nothing at all like his Missionary Training Center-perfected smile, and if Connor's heart starts beating any faster he's pretty sure it's going to beat its way right out of his chest. "Really? Even though it's the wrong day for it?" 

There's a teasing tone to his voice that Connor's never heard before and since when does _Kevin Price_ tease _him_ , anyway? There are only so many surprises that one poor district leader can handle in one day, but somehow Connor manages to pull himself together.

"Well, you _are_ about six months early," he says, and when Kevin looks confused Connor takes him by the hand and tugs him over to his desk, where the calendar is pinned to the wall. "See? Kissing Day isn't until July 6."

Neither one of them seems inclined to let go of the other's hand as Kevin studies the calendar. "Well, in that case," he says at last, and yup, Connor isn't imagining that teasing tone because it's still there. "What do you think we should do?"

Connor pretends to consider it but suspects he's doing a very poor job of looking thoughtful with the big, goofy grin he can feel spreading across his face. "I propose that we use this extra time to practice," he says at last. "We want to be prepared, after all."

Kevin squeezes his hand. "You really do have the best ideas."

"I'll remind you of that when it's National Tap Dance Day," he replies, and this time, when Kevin laughs and leans in for another kiss, Connor is ready for it.


End file.
